An IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) service is typically delivered to an end-user device from an IPTV Backend and via a set-top box, and an IPTV service may comprise e.g. linear television (i.e. real-time television). The set-top box is capable of receiving a media stream of the television service from an IPTV feed, e.g. a satellite, a terrestrial aerial or a cable, and display on a suitable display device, e.g. a TV-screen or a personal computer.
A home network or an office network may comprise several interconnected electronic devices, e.g. personal computers, mobile phones, recording devices, set-top-boxes and gaming consoles. Electronic devices within a conventional LAN (Local Area Network) may communicate with each other e.g. using the HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol).
Alternatively, in a DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) network, the electronic devices are adapted to communicate according to the DLNA-standard, which allows electronic devices to communicate with other DLNA-compatible devices within the same DLNA network without a complicated configuration process. However, the DLNA standard does not involve any end-user authentication.
A recording device, e.g. a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) or a PVR (Personal Video Recorder), is an electronic device or application software that is capable of recording video in a digital format and store on a disk drive or on any other local or networked storage device. Further, a set-top box with a recording and playback facility may also be denoted a DVR or a PVR. However, a conventional standardized DVR or PVR is not able to authenticate a user, and it is not possible to know which user that is controlling the DVR/PVR.
Nowadays, an end-user may want to share his/her experiences with other persons belonging to his/her social network, such as e.g. friends, family members, colleagues, or with friends on a social networking web-site, e.g. Facebook, even if the persons are not at the same place as the end-user. This may involve e.g. sharing the experience to view a linear TV program with a friend, but on different devices. Thus, a person watching a TV-program on a PC located in a the kitchen may want e.g. another family member to view the same TV-program on a TV screen located in the living room, and/or may want a Facebook-friend in another city to view the TV program on a suitable device in his/her own home.
However, the family member, friend or colleague may not be able to view the linear TV program at the time of broadcasting, e.g. since he/she is not at home, is not logged-in, or is busy. Further, even if the friend is at home and logged in, the friend may not have payed for viewing the TV program.